The Color of a Warrior
by Serenity-hime
Summary: A collection of oneshots, each featuring an individual warrior, a snapshot of their lives at some point in time.  This will most likely be contained to the inner and outer senshi, with possible appearances by Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon.
1. Emerald

**A/N: **This is a story I have been planning for quite a while. I keep running into walls on the next chapter of TLTE and Acting Out. This is much easier for me to do currently since I'm working on applying to medical school and can spin out one-shots fairly easily. This story is meant to feature each one of the senshi (maybe Tuxie and Sailor Moon, not sure yet). It's like a snapshot of them at some point in time, an in-depth look at their character. I really hope you enjoy this, and I will be back to my regular stories soon. Thank you for your patience, thank you for reading my work, and please respond if you enjoy it or have any criticisms or even complaints.

Serenity-hime

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**The Color of a Warrior – Emerald**

Makoto sat down on an old oak bench, stretching lazily. She sat her bag full of groceries down carefully on the ground beside her feet. The day was beautiful, despite the fact that it was overcast and threatening to rain. The weatherman had been calling for it all week – maybe today he would actually be right for once. Makoto chuckled to herself as she looked out over the roses in the park, hoping there would be a little rain after all for her thirsty plants. She reached forward and plucked a small yellow rose, smelling its sweet scent.

A sudden breeze picked up and she smiled, feeling the wind sighing through her as she listened to the trees creaking, leaves rustling in their own language. _Oh yes, the rain is coming, and the storm will be hard._ That made her think of Usagi, who had always been scared of the thunder. Another chuckle escaped as she thought about it – Usagi had been scared of her too at first, yet she had braved her fears and stepped forward just the same. What a miracle it was to have found such good friends in this place.

She leaned forward to rustle through her bag, thinking about making chicken dumplings from scratch for dinner tonight and maybe inviting the girls over, when the scent of roses drifted towards her on a breeze. She looked up to see a rose bush with brilliant pink roses flowering on it a few feet off, almost seeming to glow in the gloominess of the cloudy day. Above the roses she saw him, walking arm-in-arm with some girl she didn't know. Her heart clenched, and the first drops of rain pattered down.

It barely occurred to her to grab her bag as she stood, her legs urging her to bolt as her chest tightened and the rain began to fall. Instead she felt rooted to the spot, watching as the girl squealed and giggled, and the two of them ran off to stay dry as his laughter rung out across the park. It wasn't until they were gone and she felt the stinging in her eyes that she even realized the tears were there.

He had broken her heart. She had done everything to keep him in her life – she had worn the dainty clothes, even learned how to do her own makeup, she had done every bit that he wanted to try to become the demure, delicate woman he wanted. No matter how she had tried she hadn't been able to be that woman – the stubbornness and independence had shown through, the awkward elbows and knees that came with being so tall in a world of shorter girls sticking out, the frizzy hair constantly popping out of the little buns and delicate twists. He turned her away, telling her she would never change, that they wouldn't work. She wasn't good enough for him, and he could easily find someone who was. Evidently he had.

The sadness drained out of her, slowly being replaced by anger. Lightning crackled off in the distance. He looked happy, so content with his new girlfriend. How dare he treat her like that? He had no right! She had agonized over him for weeks, crying when no one could see. She was so much better than that, and he had made her feel so weak. Her hand clenched into a fist as the rain fell down around her, fire burning deep inside her at the thought of being weak, especially because of him. In her world, weakness was never an option. She looked up to where he had disappeared, hair plastered to her face now, and suddenly a voice echoed in her head. _Do you really think that? Do you really want him to be unhappy just because he hurt you? It's just time to move on, time to pick up the pieces._ She looked down in her hand to see the crushed remnants of the rose, and her face softened. Usagi flashed through her mind again. _If there were no weakness in this world, there would be nothing to protect, nothing to save. Nothing to fight for._

Her eyes fell closed as she tilted her head back to let the rain stream down her face. It was cleansing, like taking a long shower after a hard fight. The anger and aggression faded out of her, and a sense of peace was creeping in. Her eyes opened in time to see lightning crackle above her, thunder rolling out across the park. She was so much stronger now, had so much to live and fight for. Gone was the sad, lonely girl who didn't know how to fight for herself, how to stand up and carry on when the world had stopped. She had been replaced with a strong, confident woman, a woman who was better off without jerks like him in her life.

_It was really him who taught you to be strong; it was really him who showed you how to fight against the storm._ Makoto laughed to herself, picked up her soggy bag of groceries and started walking towards her apartment with a cheery smile on her face, already unconsciously toting up what she would need for those dumplings. _No, he tried to fight the storm, but you can't fight it. You cannot contain the lightning; you cannot hold back the thunder. He taught me to ride the lightning, and I'm a better person for it._


	2. Garnet

**The Color of a Warrior: Garnet**

Sailor Mars knelt before the Sacred Fire in the small shrine that had been set up for her. Her gloved hands were held in a complicated hand sign; her eyes were closed and face was taut. Orange and red warmth licked at her face as she wandered deep in her meditations. A bell rung out through the palace to signal the hour changing over to midnight, and finally she opened her violet eyes. Those eyes reflected the fire with frightening intensity.

Releasing the hand sign, she looked down to the stack of cards in front of her. Her hand almost wavered as she reached out, almost hesitated above the deck, but she quickly removed the top card and turned it over. The Tower. She sucked in a sharp breath, set the card back on the stack, and tucked them away. The Tower card meant nothing but confirmation of her fears, a physical connection to the dreams she had been having.

Images flooded her mind as she stood, and she tore her eyes from the flame in an effort to stem the flow. She fought back against the screams in her mind, the visions of horror, crumbling walls and dying people everywhere, bodies littering the landscape. No amount of meditation could eradicate those visions, and she shook her head sadly as she left the shrine, her red heels clicking sharply on the floor as she walked. _How fitting, these shoes the color of blood that deliver me to bring such terrifying tidings._ Had Venus been there, she likely would have reminded her that it was also the color of love.

As she passed by one of the large vaulted windows her eyes flicked towards the great blue planet hanging low in the Lunar sky. The corners of her mouth tightened into a frown at that, a chord striking her heart. Earth had been the source of a good deal of trouble lately, and it was entirely possible that they would be responsible for what was to come despite the fact that the Princess was going to be very upset at the mention of it. It still had to be considered a possibility, especially since Earth had been building up their forces lately.

It had been a frustrating few weeks for her. The fire had been revealing less and less to her, and she hadn't been able to make much sense of her dreams. When she looked at Princess Serenity, she got absolutely nothing. The Queen had been very understanding about Mars's inability to provide her with council, but Mars felt something bigger was at play. It was almost as if something or someone for unknown reasons was trying to keep her from peering into the fog of the near future, of delving too deeply into the situation. It was almost disturbing, but she felt somewhat encouraged that the veil had been lifted this evening.

Suddenly something made her stop. A scent, somewhere on the air had reached her, pulling her from her reflections. The silence in the hall was overwhelming, and something tugged deep in her stomach, making bile rise in her throat. There was no sound where she was, no bustling servants, no tittering ladies, no boys chasing the cats down the hallways. Nothing at all. Then the scent reached her nose again, and her eyes widened in horror. Smoke was drifting on the air, even though she couldn't see it yet, and then she was flying, legs flashing beneath her.

Panic was rising inside her, but she fought it down. Fighting instincts were taking over, and her calmness and poise was falling away. The color rose in her cheeks, and as she felt the warmth of the fire approaching, as the sounds of battle began to reach her ears, the corners of her vision began to fill in with red. As she set her shoulder to charge the door she knew would be blocked by rubble, she knew she was running to die. For some reason, whoever it was concealing the future had decided not to hide that from her. She burst into the room, the fiery inferno consuming the world around her, and she took a fighting stance as monsters rose from the haze to rush her. At least she could make it a good, honorable death.

The ashes swirled up around her, and somewhere outside time a woman cried for forgiveness.

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**A/N:** I wrote this because I see Rei as a beautiful person - in the manga she is intuitive and caring, and though she and Usagi bicker some she's nowhere enar as obnoxious as she is in the anime. I wanted to make a note to make some things clear in case they aren't: This takes place in the Silver Millenium (I feel that's reasonably clear). The person witholding the future is Pluto. If Mars were to know what was coming, she would do something about it, and of course Pluto is remorseful for her job. I can't wait to show you Pluto's story - it's very sad, but beautiful, as is Saturn's. Also, I know the associated gemstone here would probably be ruby, but I see Garnet as a darker, more vibrant red. 


	3. Sapphire

**The Color of a Warrior: Sapphire**

Ami walked along the street, carefully balancing an open book on one arm, carrying a bag of groceries and sipping delicately at a cup of hot chocolate. She was wrapped up in her book; hardly paying attention to the people she was passing on the street. People were watching her as she walked by – the strange blue-haired girl lost in her own world, but she didn't notice. She had stopped noticing a long time ago.

The click of the lock turning sounded loudly in the open apartment. She walked past the message board that read, "Will be home late, don't wait up! Good luck w/physics tomorrow! – Mom." The physics book she had been reading lay on the table as she put away the groceries, leaving out only enough to make a sandwich. Thirty minutes later her plate was empty, her cat Mozart was thoroughly enjoying an ear-scratching in her lap, and her eyes were skimming over her physics book.

A sense of restlessness was filling her. Her gaze drifted outside to the snow gently falling, and she decided to get out for awhile. She set Mozart down, got up and grabbed her keys on the way out. Surely _someone_ would be at the arcade at this time of night.

Walking down the street, Ami couldn't help but feel a little lonely. Even though she had all of these great new friends and her mother had been making efforts to be home more often, she still felt like something was missing, something she couldn't quite quantify. It wasn't that she was depressed, and it certainly wasn't school – despite the fact that she studied often, it was more for personal enrichment. The grades just came to her naturally and she really had to put in little effort.

The root of her problem was quite evident to her – all that she had left after her friends, family, and her studies was her job as a senshi. Lately she had felt increasingly more useless, especially now that Sailor Venus had shown up. Mercury's powers were defensive at best, and even Sailor Moon had been growing a lot, and relying on Mercury's strategy and knowledge a lot less. She felt like a dead weight, and didn't know what to do about it.

She was almost to the arcade when she heard the boy sobbing from an alleyway. She peeked around the corner and barely stifled a gasp. Three much older boys were towering over him, laughing and having obviously been hurting the poor boy. Sitting in the snow near him she saw a doll, probably the source of his torture. The sight of the boy, curled on the ground crying, the boys standing over him, the idea that they were picking on him, inflicting physical _pain_ on this poor boy for having a _doll_ made her do something she hadn't even expected. It made her blood boil, and it made her decide to transform.

Seconds later she dropped down from a nearby rooftop, landing softly in between the bullies and the little boy. The three of them backed away for a moment, taken by surprise as she dropped in out of nowhere, and then proceeded to laugh. The leader of the group stepped forward, and it was only then that Ami realized that these boys were probably very close to her own age, and so they were much taller. Suddenly she felt as though she couldn't breathe. She didn't have the kind of strength the others did.

"Awww, what a pretty little girl, stepping in to save the baby?" One of his cronies cackled behind him.

"She better run if she knows what's good for her." Crony number 2 cackled right alongside him.

"She looks like she couldn't beat up a half-dead chicken!"

Suddenly her anger came rushing back, and as the leader grabbed for her, she punched him square in the jaw. There wasn't any mystical senshi strength behind that one, just good solid Ami. He reeled back into Crony #2, and Crony #1 charged at her as the two of them went down in a heap. She gave him a good hook to the stomach, and as he faltered, gasping for air, she threw him into his friends on the ground. She stalked over to them, causing them to cringe.

"Look here, you little punks. Just because you're bigger and you can is no excuse for picking on someone smaller than you for whatever reason. I'll give you five seconds to clear out of here before I freeze your feet to the ground and use you as punching bags. And if I ever see or hear of you picking on little kids again, that's exactly what I'll do." The leader looked up from underneath Crony #1, fear shining in his eyes, and shoved Crony #1 off him. The three of them scrambled up and ran.

As soon as they were around the corner her knees sagged, and she fell against the wall of the building beside her. Never in her life had she yelled at someone like that, much less submitted to physical violence. Was that how Makoto felt all the time? No wonder she had gotten thrown out of her last school for fighting. Even though her hands were trembling, she felt almost…exhilarated. She raised one of those quivering hands to her eyes, shaking her head. That kind of thinking was so far out of her comfort zone she felt like she needed to go home and study quantum physics. Sniffling came from behind her, and she remembered she still had half of an issue to deal with.

The little boy was sitting on the ground, holding the tattered remnants of a stuffed doll, tears coursing freely down his face. Ami walked over and knelt down in the snow next to him. He looked up at her and she realized he could not have been older than seven. His face was red from crying, but his eyes were surprisingly clear. He gestured towards the doll.

"It was for my sister. I spent everything I had on it, and they tore it in half. I hate them!" His face screwed up tightly, livid with an anger that shocked her. She frowned, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't hate them. They aren't worth your hate, and they aren't worth spoiling something that could be happy for you. Hate only makes you cold inside, rather than warm with love for your sister." The tears were still flowing, but an understanding seemed to form in his eyes. She smiled down at him, and an idea dawned.

She sat down beside him, unconcerned about the snow, and put her hands together, closing her eyes. Her brows furrowed in concentration, and a soft blue glow began to emit from between her fingers, casting her face in an eerie light. After a few minutes, she relaxed and the light faded. The boy peered anxiously at her opening hands.

Balanced on one palm was a tiny, beautiful ice sculpture of a ballerina dancing. The detail was exquisite, leaving even Ami to wonder at just how she had done it. The boy's face lit up as she handed it to him, and he plucked it very carefully from her hands, cradling it in his arms. She stood, brushing the snow from her skirt, and reached down to help him up. As she walked him home, the thought occurred to her that perhaps she simply hadn't explored her powers completely. Maybe she had spent so much time thinking she was weak that she had completely lived up to her own expectations. Well, she could certainly change that, and was looking forward to her next battle.

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**A/N: **I feel like this one is kind of cliche, but I couldn't help but right a story about a strong Ami, one who takes charge of the situation. It's a little corny, but I love Ami (just like I love all the senshi...I'm a dork). I feel like she's often portrayed as a mouse when she's got a lot of inner strength. I've decided not to use the "predetermined" gemstone associations with the senshi, but the ones I feel fit. For Ami that happened to be sapphire, which is appropriate, but for Haruka I don't think Amber fits. We'll see how it turns out. Let me know what you think!

Serenity-hime


	4. Amethyst

**A/N:** Hey guys. I hope someone out there is enjoying this collection of stories, but as of now I have not a single review. I know it may be much to expect at least one review in two days, but I'm somewhat discouraged by it. Now, I'm not one of those authors who will threaten to not post any more without so many reviews, but I would appreciate something because it helps motivate me to keep writing. This story will be written, but I might wind up setting it to the side for awhile. It's not that I think it's a masterpiece – I just really liked the idea of this. Please review, even if you don't like it, because right now I feel like not a single person ahs bothered to read it. Ok, enough begging, please read and enjoy (and review!).

This one is very sad, but it's hard for me to imagine Saturn otherwise.

Serenity-hime

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**The Color of a Warrior: Amethyst**

Sailor Saturn stood in the sky, motionless. Her stoic face seemed to be carved out of stone, eyes devoid of emotion. Silence stretched on around her as her violet eyes seemed to search for something in the darkness, some signal to put her into motion once again. No breeze stirred around her, no wind touched those raven locks. It was as if the world around her had ground to a halt.

Without warning she disappeared, reappearing in a large, white room. Large sections of crystallized wall had crashed to the ground, and as she floated through the room about a foot off the ground, the shattered pieces twinkled in her soft glow like stars in the sky outside. In the center of a room lay a pillar which had been knocked almost completely on its side. On top of it a woman in white was dying. Her hand had been held high, but now it was falling, her scepter tumbling from her hand, the life fading from her. Saturn floated to her side, and Serenity turned her head with the last of her fading energy to see her standing above her. She saw the glaive in her hand, and her eyes grew wide with recognition for this girl she had never met.

"S-Saturn? This cannot be!" Saturn paused a moment, then nodded her head. There was no sadness, no regret, no emotion, just a nod. Serenity's face sagged, and then she nodded as well. Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. "I thought I could save them."

"It is time, Serenity. I have been called, and I must not leave until my duty has been completed." Tears filled the dying queen's eyes, but she was too weak to protest. For the first time, emotion lit Saturn's cold face: compassion. She smiled warmly at Serenity, reaching out to her and squeezing her frail hand gently.

"Do not worry. An ending is little more than the near side of a beginning." Serenity visibly relaxed and Saturn released her hand, laying it gently on her stomach with deep reverence as her light faded into darkness. Saturn stayed a moment more, floating beside the fallen queen as a tear slid unnoticed down her cheek. "You have ensured their future, my Queen. And now," she turned towards the broken doorway, eyes hard as gemstones, "I must fulfill my obligations." This was the gift she brought; this was the wake that flowed behind her as she moved in time – death on the wings of a butterfly. Once again she disappeared, reappearing above the palace.

A stale, dead wind was stirring, pulling gently at her hair and uniform. It brought the stench of death and the sound of emptiness. Her face was stone once more, and she surveyed the landscape with no visible emotion. Inside thoughts were floating along, and emotions were surfacing as fast as she could push them down. She was here to perform an ancient duty bestowed on her alone, she had been awoken from her deep slumber, and there was no stopping the inevitable.

The landscape was littered with bodies and the remains of once-raging fires. The destruction was tremendous. The moon looked more like a wasteland than the paradise it had once been such a short time ago. She could feel the few people left alive, though their lights were fading as well. Their death would be a mercy to them, granting them sweet release, and she could deliver that swiftly to them. It was why she was here, why she had been summoned. But she had to die too.

As she raised her glaive high, her dispassionate eyes betrayed the rising terror in her own heart. Her voice echoed throughout the lands, throughout every planet as if by magic.

"As the fallen nourish the soil, as the dead give sustenance to the living, death becomes life. Life from death. Death," she wavered for less than a second, and then her glaive swung down with her piercing cry.

"Rebirth!"

The glaive fell with a great burst of light, followed by darkness and quiet. A single being watched silently as the world ended and new life began to sprout. She shook her head sadly and turned away into her own world to mourn.


	5. Tanzanite

**A/N:** I have been looking forward to writing this one. I feel like the outer senshi never got the time they should have, and she's probably my favorite of them (next to Setsuna, whose story I believe will be last). Let me know what you think!

I have never been so happy to get three reviews in my life :) Guitarbabe2005, Valkyrie Ceres, and Wicked-Lady18, thank you for your reviews! I felt so petty asking for them, but I felt like nobody cared. If even you three are anticipating my next chapters, it's totally worth it to write. Even one reader is worth writing for! Thank you guys so much, I'm excited to finish the story now! Hooray!

All the rest of you, please feel free to toss me up a review, even if it's to tell me how lame my story is. I just like some feedback, and if you do enjoy it feel free to say that too. Anyways, please enjoy this next chapter!

Serenity-hime

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**The Color of a Warrior: Tanzanite**

The wind felt good running its fingers through her hair. The howling of it almost filled her so completely that she couldn't hear the roar of the bike beneath her. The helmet that Michiru had insisted she wear was sitting behind her, strapped to the seat. Haruka figured that if she hadn't been killed by as many blows as she had taken, no motorcycle accident was going to relieve her of her mortal existence. She brought it along anyways to make Michiru feel better.

The sun was setting up ahead, that glorious golden-red color she loved so much. The sky was painted beautiful shades of pink and orange and blue as the sun embraced the horizon, and clouds were racing across the sky, fighting to keep up with her own speed. A smile crept across her face at that – no cloud could outrun the wind, no matter how hard it tried. The thought reminded her about a conversation she had with Michiru earlier when they had met at the lake in the park.

Michiru had been talking about some artsy thing that had caught her interest, as always, and Haruka's mind had wandered off somewhere much more pleasant. Evidently Michiru had noticed the mischievous look in her eyes and gave her a playful punch on the shoulder and said something about her not paying attention. Haruka shrugged.

"It's hard to pay attention when I've got so many other important things on my mind." She gave her that grin that she _knew_ Michiru hated, usually because it meant trouble. "Besides, you'll tell me about it again later, and after I space out that time too you'll just drag me along wherever and that will be that." Michiru had rolled her eyes.

"When I met you I had no idea that you would turn out so wild. I seem to have not made any impact on you at all, cultural nor behavioral." Haruka had thrown her head back and laughed.

"Of course not! No matter how hard you try, you can _never_ tame the wind." Michiru had laughed with her.

"One of these days, Haruka, you'll wake up and realize you've become the lady you've always yearned to be."

It still made her smile that her companion tried to "refine" her every now and then. It wasn't that she was without culture or sophistication, it was just so much more fun to relax and enjoy the simple things in life, like riding through that golden, eternal moment right before the sun really sets and the stars come out of hiding. Eventually she would have to turn around and head back for the city, put gas in the tank, go home and eat dinner, but for now she needed to be free.

She gunned the engine, flying down the highway at speeds that would make Michiru pale. As she rounded a corner, a man passed her coming from the other direction on his own bike and an odd sensation overcame her. The man, also not wearing a helmet, glanced at her in that moment they were beside each other, and in the seconds that his cobalt eyes locked onto her pale blues she felt a chill creep down into her bones. She felt as if she had known that man for a long time, and for some reason she didn't like him, as if he had offended her in some way before.

The moment passed, and he was gone in a flash of his red bike and raven hair, but the feeling stuck with her for a while. She rode off towards the sunset as the last golden rays were slipping from the sky as the man flew down the highway into the deepest, darkest part of the evening. A frown crossed her face as she began to lose herself in thought. Michiru was often the dramatic one, but Haruka herself was never one to ignore fate. It hid at more intersections than most people would believe. Destiny pulled strings in the lives of the unsuspecting every day, and she never liked to be surprised.

Shaking her head, she turned her eyes forward, knowing it was becoming time to return home. The time to be wild and free was passing, and fate was intervening more and more in their lives. It was almost like a wind – blowing in and demanding change, destroying everything that tried to resist it. Sometimes she held a deep desire to simply turn away from her destiny, to try to walk away no matter the consequences, but then her own words echoed in her mind.

_No matter how hard you try, you can _never_ tame the wind._ The wind whipped around her viciously for a moment, threatening to topple her, but then it passed. An unbidden laugh bubbled up and out of her as she turned back, a deep belly-shaking laugh. She threw her head back and roared it out over the sound of her bike, the wind whipping around her. Oh yes, fate would do with her what it willed no matter which way she twisted in its gale, and the best she could do was laugh and play along. Her laughter settled down into chuckles and she headed home to tell Michiru how she had tried to defy the wind.

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**A/N:** I struggled in picking a gemstone for Haruka. I settled on tanzanite because it can range in color from a deep, purple-blue of an evening sky to a brilliant blue, or even the pinks and red associated with beautiful sunsets. Haruka is the senshi of the sky and wind, after all! Thanks for reading :) 


	6. Aquamarine

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! It means a lot to me, it really does. I should be finishing this very shortly, especially as I only have two more senshi to go (unless I do one about Tuxedo Kamen, I'm not sure if I should leave it at just the girls for now, even though he's Earth's protector. We'll see.) Please enjoy this next chapter! This one is a bit shorter, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyways. I was going to move on and do Minako next, but I just couldn't follow up Haruka with anyone but Michiru. Their stories appear to happen in around the same timeframe. Let me know what you think!

By the way, thank you 00idiot for pointing out that I had spelled Michiru wrong in my last chapter. I have already corrected it, but I appreciate it. Sometimes I get something wrong stuck in my head and proceed to do it wrong 20 times. I still go back and check any Makoto stories twice to make sure I haven't said Lita anywhere! Anyways, her name should be spelled correctly here.

Serenity-hime

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**The Color of a Warrior:** **Aquamarine**

She stood on their balcony that overlooked the sea. Despite her protests that it wasn't that important, Haruka had insisted that they get this apartment so she could look out over the sea anytime she wanted. Michiru had been dubious because of the price, but when they had stood on the balcony at sunset and Haruka had shown her that she could come out every day to see the waves meet the sky, she couldn't help but agree. Haruka had always had that effect on her.

The familiar feel of the smooth wood beneath her hand was comforting – that familiar weight, the caress of the strings as she lifted her favorite violin up and placed it delicately under her chin. Never in her life was she more at peace than standing here above the water letting the music free, playing her soul out for the waves below. It was a brilliant day, and a happy, bright tune wove its way from underneath her bow. She was often told that her music seemed a little melancholy, so she had taken efforts to cheer it up lately.

As she played her thoughts wandered. Despite the common misconception that she had to focus intently on her music, her mind often roamed about as instinct and familiar behavioral patterns took over. The music was a part of her, and playing was nearly comparable to her as reaching out to pick up a cup of tea or eating. It was an extension of her will, of her very _being_¸ and most people seemed to struggle with that idea. Haruka seemed to understand a little, but she often teased Michiru, calling her a virtuoso or prodigy. Michiru rather thought it was just a natural talent for her, nothing incredibly special.

Thinking about Haruka's teasing made her smile. She was never serious, and she often teased her with compliments, but it was teasing nonetheless. They often joked together about how completely different they were – Haruka of course saying that Michiru was "cultured", also known as a snob, and Michiru saying Haruka was "unrefined", also known as a bumpkin. Sometimes she wondered how she had wound up with such a wonderful friend and companion, but she decided fate simply had its cards to play whether or not it had shown its hand.

Fate seemed to be intervening a lot lately. Strange coincidences had been popping up everywhere, and she refused to believe they weren't connected. She could not peer into the mists of time, she couldn't discern the web being woven around them, but she had very strong intuition and would not give in to the idea that it was unrelated. Something big was approaching very quickly on the horizon, and she hated not being prepared for it. It was hard to be so calm and collected when the waters were turbulent, but somehow she would manage to keep it together.

She had decided that they must start to pay careful attention to the events happening around them, and to be incredibly skeptical of coincidence. If they wanted to be able to put together the pieces so that they could prepare, they had to extend their net of awareness and try to make sense of it all. Sometimes she felt so helpless, letting insecurities take over that anyone else rarely saw. She never had to deal with the gripping panic others did, but doubting herself might as well have been the same for her.

A soft sigh escaped her as she finished her song, releasing the last dubious notes into the air. When had her song become so sad, so pensive? She shook her head as she lowered her violin, eyes searching out answers in the late afternoon sky. If they were going to succeed here, if they were going to do well at all, they were going to have to pull their act together.

The front door opened and clicked shut, and Haruka was making her way towards the balcony. Michiru put on one of her witty smiles, knowing that Haruka had some story to tell her, probably something about a random person she met on the street. Where Michiru was overly concerned about events happening in their vicinity, Haruka was convinced that everyone she met on the street was someone of importance. Clutching her violin protectively to her chest, she turned to go in the apartment and meet her, wondering where the line of significance would be drawn in the sand. She supposed it didn't much matter, because all lines were washed away in time.


	7. Citrine

**A/N:** Ah, I really had been wanting to do this one. Mina is such a bright, loving soul. She's one of those people that you would be hard-pressed to see doing anything mean-spirited, but she's also very strong, which is why she's the leader of the senshi. I really hope you enjoy this one, I know I enjoyed writing it :)

I can't wait, Setsuna is next! Please let me know what you think of this chapter! It's almost over, I'm sad to say.

Serenity-hime

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**The Color of a Warrior: Citrine**

Minako hummed to herself as she strolled along the aisles of the clothing store she had been perusing for the better part of a half hour. She was trying to find an outfit for an audition she had read about in the paper – you could win a chance to sing at a local street fair that would be held in a couple months. A grin spread across her face as she thumbed through the dresses on the rack. Artemis would be unhappy if he knew she was here – he was always admonishing her for trying to get herself into the public spotlight because it posed a risk of revealing her identity. Mina's thought was that the last place anyone would look for a superhero would be the spotlight, which worked out well for her.

Even if Artemis had concerns she wasn't worried at all. She knew her limits, and even if she seemed a little ditzy she wasn't thoughtless enough to let anything about her real identity slip, especially out in public. When push came to shove she was incredibly clearheaded. Most people either saw what she wanted them to, or just a side of her that she easily controlled. Something inside her spoke of leadership, of taking command when things got bad, and though Artemis didn't see it she felt that reassurance in the back of her mind constantly.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a man clumsily browsing through dresses not too far away from where she was standing. He was a little older than her, tall and gangly, and seemingly very awkward looking through women's clothes. He had a crop of messy black hair, and striking green eyes. She would have bet her piggy bank that he was looking for a present for a sister, maybe a cousin. Probably a sister. She chewed her lip in thought as she walked along, the gears already turning in her mind. _What to do, what to do. This one seems easy but it should be handled carefully._

Persian blue eyes focused sharply as they rose above the rack in front of her to notice a saleswoman walking by a few rows over. She had long brown hair and a big smile, and soft brown eyes. There was an aura about her, one that spoke of happiness and compassion, and a multitude of other things. A smile crept across Minako's face, and she was hustling down her row in a flash. A few minutes later she was walking down the same row, chatting merrily with the saleswoman. She paid no attention to the man, walking closer to where he was uncomfortably pawing through clothes. She spotted an attractive dress and pulled it off the rack, turning to face the woman.

"Ok Becky, this is the dress I was wondering about. Do you have this dress two sizes up?" She knew they wouldn't. A fake look of despair crossed her face as the woman bit her lip and shook her head.

"Oh I'm very sorry, but we've discontinued that particular item, and that's the only one we have left. I can show you some similar dresses we have that you might like." Mina waved her off, smiling warmly.

"You seem to know this store inside and out! Thank you though, I saw another dress in my size a few racks over that I think I'll buy instead. I appreciate the help!"

"Just let me know if I can do anything else for you." Becky placed the dress back on the rack as Mina turned to go.

"Will do! I'm impressed and very happy to find you so helpful. Have a good day!" Mina walked off casually, before ducking behind a sales display. She peeked around the corner just in time to see it unfolding.

Becky was looking up just as the man was wrestling with his insecurities about approaching her. Of course, as any good sales representative would do she approached him to ask him if he needed help. Mina barely stifled a giggle as she watched, as he blushed and Becky reassured him, as he explained and they perused the shelves. They talked, and even though Mina couldn't hear them she knew what was being said. As Becky escorted the man up to the sales counter, a beautiful dress in tow, Mina felt her heart soften. She straightened up and turned to go, knowing the dress she was looking for wasn't there, and that she had fulfilled her purpose for being in that store.

Artemis could say whatever he wanted. She would be famous someday, and she would influence thousands, maybe millions of people. Somewhere in her heart she knew what people thought of her – that she wanted to be famous for the money, the attention, for all of the perks that being recognized would get her, but she knew and felt different, and that was what counted. A true goddess of love would do whatever it took, even putting herself in the spotlight to reach more people, to bring love to the hearts of as many people as possible, and she believed herself to be as close to a goddess of love as a person could get. Mina strolled out of the store and into the golden sunlight not long before sunset with a smile and a renewed sense of peace.


	8. Obsidian

**A/N:** This is the final story in this collection, and I will forewarn you that it is longer than the others, and it is fairly sad. More notes to follow!

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**The Color of a Warrior: Obsidian**

Sailor Pluto stood as she always did, staff in hand, watching the swirls and eddies of time. An outside observer would think she was a statue of herself, she was so still. It was simply many ages of standing in the same place, observing time. Much of it was uninteresting, times and wars and eras she didn't care much about, but there were also certain, special times she cared to peek in on. Some times were harder to see than others. In the current time stream, she could not peer into the future so easily as the present or the past.

Time worked strangely, out here. She had been introduced to this world when she was very young, so young she could barely remember, but somehow it had been later in time, in the future she couldn't see so well. It was hard to recall what the time stream looked like when she had entered – she had hardly paid it any mind when she had first come here, an unknown amount of time ago. Instead of reflecting on time, she had spent a good portion of her youth breaking the rules that had been set for her before she had come.

Pranks had been the majority of her antics, abandoning her post to do stupid things like steal unimportant objects from people like socks or television remotes. It had been incredibly funny to her at the time, and even looking back at herself doing these things she had to smile a little, but it never lasted. Now she knew how serious her station was, how absolutely critical it was for her to be here at all times, and she had not broken her solemn vow as the Keeper of the Gate of Time and Space and had upheld the rules with swift and exact justice since that incident so many years ago…

She roused herself from her thoughts by shaking her head to clear it. Her eyes focused once again on the scenes playing themselves out before her. Usagi, as she was known in this time, was sitting in a restaurant with her friends, who composed the senshi who protected her. It was at some arcade that they went to often, meeting for business, but more likely to horse around and enjoy all of the pleasures that most girls their age indulged in, pleasures that they took for granted every day of their free lives.

Usagi was playing a game with Makoto leaning over her shoulder, egging her on. It was one of the Sailor V games, which always made Pluto smile a little. The irony displayed in people's lives was always so evident from this viewpoint, but they often seemed to miss it themselves. A wistful smile crossed her face for a moment as Usagi pounded away at the machine, outraged that she had died on some boss in the game. The smile quickly left, just as most of her smiles did. Emotion had little function here, in a barren world full of nothing but windows.

When she felt her throat tightening she turned away. Many tears had been cried, more than any antics could wash away, but they had long since dried. The many stages of grief had passed as well, and she had come to accept her fate, and had learned to stand still for what felt like eons. She had some knowledge that a day would come when she would be called on, when she would be moved to act at last, but she had no idea when that would be, or how it would occur. Time moved differently out here, sometimes seeming to happen all at once, and sometimes not seeming to move at all.

There was also some knowledge that sometime soon she would be freed from her utter solitude by a little girl, but she did not know who. Most people believed her to be omniscient, but she was forbidden to peer too deeply into the regions of time that had yet to unfold, relatively. Besides, it was a difficult task to see into the future, and the time had not yet come where her powers would be released enough for her to have that kind of control. She grimaced at the very thought, knowing that the presence of the little girl meant that in time, she would break from her duty to indulge in company, actually allowing someone in this place. Many times she had been angry with herself for events that had not occurred, but for this she could never forgive herself. When the day came, her perspective would most likely change, but breaking a rule she had been trained to kill for was beyond her comprehension.

A long, drawn-out sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes as the weight settled in on her. Every now and then she could forget it for a time – minutes, seconds, months, who knew how long, but it always came back. There was the deep sense of duty, the dedication she had to what she did, but nothing, not even the stern commands of a queen had been able to stamp out the restlessness that always plagued her. Nothing was able to overcome the emptiness she felt, and an empty existence was what she had resigned herself to. The only thing she had was her training, and she had met the limit of her powers here. She knew them inside and out, and had used them all at one point or another when some foolish mortal thought that they were worthy enough to mess with her realm.

Her grip on her staff tightened at that thought. Many times she had been made to enforce the laws, and many times she had watched them fall. Unquestioning judgment was delivered, and punishment swift and severe. It all came back to that little girl, the girl she could never see but knew she would forgive, and it always made her angry. To think that some day she would go back on her word, that she would abandon what she had sworn that day. It made her blood boil, but she quickly dismissed it, knowing that getting upset with events that had not yet occurred would do her no good. In a way they had already occurred, because she had seen bits and pieces, but they would come around soon and she would just have to be patient.

Again she cast her eyes on the window before her, the window that seemed to follow her no matter where she went. The blonde was laughing, eating sweets with her friends with not a care in the world. In a way Pluto was angry with her, and in a way she worshipped her. Without any doubt she knew that this was the Messiah spoken of since she was little, but she seemed to take everything for granted. A thought stirred deep in the back of her mind, a voice whispering to her that maybe that was the best way to live, after all.

A slow, howling wind picked up and her features came into sharp relief. Something big was coming, some change was on that wind. She clutched her staff tightly to her chest, waiting for it to arrive, her eyes darting to the window often as she searched around the emptiness for something, anything at all to let her foresee what it was. The future was still misted over, and for a long, terrifying moment she felt that deep horror creeping into her soul. To not know what was coming was an idea she struggled with, and this wind was bringing memories to her, parts of her own past she'd rather not recollect. Something was about to happen, and she knew she would be called upon soon. A familiar voice echoed in her mind, a voice she had not heard for millennia, one that sounded as if it were right beside her again, and a chill ran down her spine, which made the keys around her waist jingle obscenely in the deathly quiet.

"_Pluto."_

_"Yes?"_

_"There are three things you must never do. First, you must not cross time. Second, you must never leave the gate for any reason. And third…"_

_"Yes my lady?"_

_"Pluto, the third thing you must never do…you must not stop time. If you do, your life will be forfeit._"

Pluto gasped, the awareness tearing away at her heart. She fell to her knees, clutching her chest and gasping for air. The world was spinning around her, and as she looked out at that angelic face, she knew that it was worth it. There was no question in her heart that she would die for this girl, that she would give her life to spare her and those she loved, but it still hurt. Since she had been aware of herself in life, she had known that she would be eternal, that she would guard the gates forever, that she would become, in a sense, a goddess of the Underworld, a keeper of time. She had dispatched many souls who had wandered here in search of power, but never had she envisioned her own mortality, not once. For the first time in many, many eons, Sailor Pluto looked out at the world, and knew she was going to die.

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**A/N:** I hate to leave this collection of stories on such a sad note, but Sailor Pluto's story must always be last, for in my eyes she is eternal. Unfortunately her stories are also almost always sad. Aside from Usagi, she is my favorite character from the series, and in this story she is based much more on the Pluto from the manga than from the anime. The pluto from the manga has seen much more than her anime counterpart, and she is darker, almost sinister, and is a true Senshi of the Underworld. She is the only senshi we know of who will kill without remorse, and without hesitation. Galaxia may be seen as an exception to this, but really we learn she is without her star seed when she is this way. Even Tin Nyanko would hesitate over killing someone, I think. Pluto is the most duty-bound, and she has lived for amounts of time we probably can't even imagine. She is beautiful and deep, and lonely. Anyways, I really hoped you enjoyed reading this, and please please please if you enjoyed this particular chapter let me know. It was not my favorite to write, it was by far my favorite story to tell.

Serenity-hime


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